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I had big expectations for my drive along the aptly-named "Romantic Rhine", and I was not let down. It was a perfect summer day in August with temperatures in the low 30s celcius (approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit).

If you ever need to claim that you have been ontop of a 14,000 foot peak, then Mt Evans is probably the easiest to way to accomplish this. It is a cheap feeling, but if there is a mountain by a major interstate you should not let such an opportunity pass you by.

Louisiana seemed like a foreign country to me. Although I had been to Alabama in the distant, distant past, I was clueless. I am not a Spring Break or Mardi Gras traveler so Louisiana hasn't been in my mind.

This is a great museum to take your buddies to, and it's free! I usually take friends here as part of a morning excursion. The name "Yebisu" comes follows the classical character used for in the Ebisu kanji, "ye".

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a sanctuary for Indian elephants. It's a majestic sight to see, and you won't see as many and in greater numbers than this. These are elephants are treated as "wild", but they do have a routine.

Now this is a restaurant that I know well in Japan. I've eaten here several times for more than a decade. It's not unchanging. The menu has become more user-friendly, additional menu items have been added, and cost-cutting measures taken.

The Desert Botanical Garden is in the middle of Phoenix, Arizona. As you travel around Phoenix you notice how well the housing developments blend into the landscape. On many roads you cannot tell whether there are houses around you.

I'm a native Californian. I love snow. If I want this snow I would drive 3.5 hours for it early on a Saturday morning to catch first tracks (being the first down a slope with fresh powder on it). Somewhere in my life I moved out to Ohio.